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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26988871">We're Family, You Said So</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/acutelilbarista/pseuds/acutelilbarista'>acutelilbarista</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, also i don't like the title for this but idk what to call it, and they're emma's cousins lmao, are there too many tags idk i am a newbie, greenpeace girl is called zara, hi this is my second fic, i have a soft spot for zoey okay, paulkins are adorable i rest my case, she's zoey's twin, this is actually kinda emotional near the end, u get the idea okay enjoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:14:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26988871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/acutelilbarista/pseuds/acutelilbarista</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Zoey uses her limited detectives skills to use to interrogate Emma about the good ol' coffee cutie. </p><p>-</p><p>this is my second piece of work here so it might suck, LMAO. thanks for reading regardless!!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>We're Family, You Said So</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, see you at yours tonight?" Emma questioned, slowly pulling her hand away from Paul's gentle grasp. </p><p>Just outside the front windows of Beanie's, Paul and Emma had paused so she could return to work after a quick walk around the block together. A simple routine they held to every day, and that simple half hour they got together, fingers intertwined, arms bumping into one another, a small kiss here and there, were the best parts of each of their days. </p><p>"Sounds good." Paul smiled down at her. "Have a good shift, hopefully no one gives you shit."</p><p>A small smile crept up on her features as she shook her head and laughed lightly. "Pretty sure I attract all the shitty customers," Emma looked up to his crystal blue eyes and smirked, leaning up quickly to press a soft kiss to his lips. "except you, of course."</p><p>Paul visibly blushed, and grinned. "Must explain why Ted always manages to tag along." He held up his wrist and peered at the watch that Emma had recently bought him as a Christmas present. "Well, my work awaits. See you in a few hours."</p><p>"Will fucking do, if I don't rip my head off by then." Emma smirked, before quickly rising on her toes to press another kiss to his lips, lingering a little longer to satisfy not only him but herself. "Bye, nerd." She waved dramatically as she stepped up towards the front door of Beanie's. </p><p>"Love you." Paul smiled at her warmly, shoving his hands into his pockets, something he happened to do when he wasn't holding her hand. It was cute, and she was glad to have noticed the small gesture. </p><p>"A literal nerd." She exclaimed, waving him off towards CCPR Technical. </p><p>He held up his middle finger, but the smile that touched his face never left. Either he was still blushing like mad, or the cold was finally beginning to affect him. No matter the temperature, Paul always seemed to be 10 degrees warmer than Emma, which come in very handy during the colder season. </p><p>Paul turned away to head down the street, before Emma quickly called out. "Oi, doofus!" Without hesitation, he paused and moved his head back towards her. "Love you back."</p><p>Paul winked at her, something he was horrendously bad at but knew made Emma feel warm inside. Watching him take his time down the street, she grinned to herself. How she managed to get a guy like him, she'd never know, but thank fucking god was she thankful. </p><p>Emma moved around and pushed the glass door open to Beanie's, the small bell making a ding sound from above her. No costumes were to be found, so she snuck behind the counter, sneakily grabbing a new cookie on the stove before heading out to the break room. </p><p>There stood Zoey, arms crossed, a sly smirk proudly displayed on her face. </p><p>"What's that face for?" Emma grumbled, taking a bite of her cookie, letting the crumbs fall to the ground without a care. </p><p>"You and your man are getting on well." She simply commented, leaning against the small table they had in the break room. "Looks like you really... love him!"</p><p>Zoey was grinning maniacally now, tossing her phone around from hand to hand, her perfect pink manicure glittering in the soft glow of the small yellow light above them. </p><p>"Shut the fuck up, Zo." Was Emma's reply, shoving passed her to return her phone from her pocket into her small black backpack that hung from the side wall. </p><p>"No, you shut the fuck up." Zoey stood up, and come over to Emma, shoving her elbow into her side. Or more realistically, her elbow into her shoulder. The height difference between a 20 and 30 year old was stupid. Emma may have been short, but it was unfair of Zoey to get the tall genetics from her father's side of the family. "Tell me about him!"</p><p>Emma piled the rest of the cookie into her mouth, chomping down harshly before letting the sweet goodness travel down into her empty stomach. There was not one day where she didn't forget to pick up lunch with Paul on their daily round. "And why would I do that?" She turned to the side, her gaze following up into Zoey's eyes, which shone mischievously. </p><p>"Because I'm your favourite cousin, of course. Plus, we work together. We're close." </p><p>"Ha - Ha, Zoey. Funny joke. News flash, Zara's my fave out of you two."</p><p>The taller brunette frowned. "Rude! It's because you can't tell us apart." She scoffed. "She likes the enviro - what the word is - shit, and I," She stood up straight, flattening out her green apron with her nails. "am the real star of the family."</p><p>With a slow roll of the eyes, Emma pushed past her annoying cousin, travelling back into the from of their store where a new customer tapped their finger angrily on the counter. With a quick, fake apology for the delay, Emma quickly created their order, before turning back to face Zoey who now stood at the break door, arms folded.</p><p>"Why do you care so much about me and him?" She questioned, flicking a dirty tea towel into her direction. "Like, you actually ask a lot. It's kinda fuckin' weird."</p><p>Zoey sighed dramatically, as per usual, and walked towards the tiny dishwasher crammed into the side of the kitchen. She bent down, tossing in a few cups from the sink and mumbled something into the dishwasher. </p><p>"What was that?" Emma sneered, now taking her own time to fold her short arms across the front of her body. </p><p>Zoey stood up again, still looming over Emma, and huffed. "I saaaid," she made clear eye contact that it was enough to make Emma almost feel uncomfortable. "Surprise, surprise, I actually kind of care about you."</p><p>A grin appeared on Emma's face as she let out a snort. "Hah! I call bullshit on that one, Zo. You're not a very good actress after all!"</p><p>"Fuck off!" The other girl grumbled, moving to the other side of the room, plopping down on a seat. "Life's shitty at the moment, I need some word on life around. Zara doesn't tell me shit, and the only other person I basically ever see is you, Nora or my theatre friends. They're cool, I guess, and Nora is a bitch, let's face it, but you're actually family."</p><p>She could've sworn Emma's face softened at that last bit. </p><p>"Just tell me how the fuck you're doing with your 'coffee cutie', Em. He fuckin' loves you, ya know?"</p><p>Emma smiled downwards, a faint blush creeping up against her cheeks. She prayed Zoey thought it was the cold, but she knew she wasn't as stupid as she seemed. "He's a fuckin' great guy. And I really love him too, which is literally nuts. But, whatever." She shrugged, moving towards Zoey and taking a seat opposite her. </p><p>The girl now had a distant look to her eyes, even a small frown on her face. </p><p>"Hey, what's up? Like, you okay?"</p><p>"It's nothing." Zoey grumbled. </p><p>"Nah, fuck it, we're family. You said so." Emma reached out, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "What is it?"</p><p>Zoey looked up, and Emma saw the small tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I just... it's stupid, but, I just wish I had what you had." Emma's eyebrows perked up at that and she scoffed in response. "No, really. Like, everyone knows me to be a bit of a... whore. And yeah, I kinda am. But I don't want that anymore, I'd actually be okay with the idea of just... settling down. Zara's got it going for her with Jakob, and you've got Paul, and I'm just here. Alone. Tryna be a fuckin' actress, working as a stupid barista while old guys hit on me like I'm a free toy that comes with a happy mean. I just hate it sometimes."</p><p>Emma and Zoey had never had such a deep conversation. Sure, they had small talk, usually Emma telling her to get her ass out to the counter to do some work, but they were never that close. </p><p>But now, with Zoey on the absolute verge of tears, Emma felt a pang of sympathy. Because she'd been in the same place, with Jane. Always the good one, there was always the bad one too.</p><p>"Hey," Emma's soft tone suprised them both as she leant in a rested her hand on her younger cousin's knee. Wouldn't it be awkward if a customer came in, she thought. "It gets better, kid. Just give it time. I was a total fuckup until this year, but you've already got some of it going for you. You really are a good singer and actress, or whatever, so I think you can do it. As for a guy, just wait around. He's out there. Probably at the stage door, waiting for you to sign out your name with the hopes of your number." She offered a weak smile, to which Zoey returned with a teary grin. </p><p>"When did you get nice?"</p><p>"When I started dating the fucking coffee cutie, my dude."</p>
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